After the death of the previous leader, al-Sayyid, al-Mahdi returned the country to its former state. The Dervishes mobilized their troops and attacked the Mahdists. The Mahdi withdrew his forces from the Ansar and advanced with his army, increasing his forces.

The Mahdi sent his army to subdue the Ashlaks in Fasoda, then sent it to Gadarif and from there to Kassala to confront the Italians. This was at a time when the Italians were preparing for the Battle of Adwa. This was a sign that the Mahdi's advance into Eritrea was a prelude to an English attack on him. Al-Mahdi and his followers, including al-Mahdi and al-Mahdi, were aware that the Egyptian Mahdists were not the only ones involved.

There is no need to mention here that the Italians were allies of the Mahdists. This alliance was a support for some of our colleagues who, in the opinion of some, supported the Khedivate, which was seeking to annex Egyptian territory. The Mahdists fought the Khedivate on the borders of Egypt, where the Khedivate and Italy, with the support of European powers, were working to weaken the Mahdists and Abyssinians together, so that Italy could achieve its ambitions and the Khedivate could gain a foothold in the region.

However, all of this is taken from circumstantial evidence and from the accounts of some who were aware of the Mahdi's policy, which did not explicitly state anything about these alliances, which indicates that the Mahdi succeeded in his endeavors.